This painting depicts Gibraltar from the South and shows the dark form of the Rock, looming vastly in the surrounding stormy seas. Gibraltar was captured from Spain in July 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, and permanently ceded to Britain at the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. Standing as it does at the gateway to the Mediterranean, it has been a vital pillar of British foreign policy for two hundred and fifty years. Despite numerous Spanish attempts to dislodge the Union Flag, including the Great Siege of 1779-83, the Rock has remained resolutely British to this day and has provided safe haven for the Royal Navy for generations of sailors and their ships.